My Latest Update

Hello All,
As most of you know, we went to Texas this last weekend to attend the temple to watch Mike's brother Chris and his family be sealed for time and all eternity. What a huge blessing that was for us! I had the honor and privilege of being Penny's escort as she made her way through the temple for the first time. It's nice to do that because it gives me a fresh perspective on the blessings I get from attending the temple. I hope that Mike and I can have a new desire to start going more often.

On a more bittersweet (but exciting) note, Mike also had the interview with Holt Cat in Irving. It's looking more and more like Heavenly Father wants us in Texas. I will miss Utah and the people I have met and love so much here, but I am looking forward to opening a new and exciting chapter in my life. The interview went better than Mike or I could have ever hoped for. Not only did they tell Mike they want him so badly that they will create a position for him, they also said that they will continue to pay him what he makes here with room to grow and all the overtime he wants. We are so excited to get going. In some ways, I want to leave right now! But, we are still waiting on our home situation to be figured out. If we can get that taken care of, then there is nothing stopping us except the sheer amount of packing. The garage alone could take upwards of a month!

I had the chance to look at some houses while we were there and I toured the elementary school the kids will go to. It is wonderful! I am so much more excited for them to go there than I am for them to be at Fox Hills. We attended our potential ward and everyone was very friendly and inviting. That's one of the things I love about our church. It doesn't vary no matter where you are in the world. I really need a fresh start like this. I also saw my campus that I will be attending and I found out that in Arlington, they have all-day kindergarten!! I can't wait! Not that I don't love Claire, but it just means that I can be that much closer to attending school full-time or even working during the day doing accounting. So, the countdown has begun. We will see what Heavenly Father has in store for us. I can't wait!

My Toasty Home

Right now I am sitting on my trusty leather couch, listening to a fire crackle in the fireplace. My kids have just gotten done playing in the snow and the girls are now lying on the floor with their feet held up in front of the fire. I just got done cleaning the kitchen and the dishwasher is running in the background. Dallin is sitting at the table doing homework and the window is bright from the sun reflecting on the snow outside. Mike is out with some buddies working in the garage and the dumb dog is laying at my feet, asleep. We had some Christmas music playing before Audrey started practicing her cello. Now it's back on and we are enjoying our morning. I hope everyone else is having a nice one too! Love to all!

My Quandary

As you all know, I have gone through about a zillion dogs since we have lived here in SLC. I have never been able to find the perfect one. Cannon was a puppy, so he chewed on everything and was just too much work. Plus, I was pregnant with Claire at the time, so I just didn't have the patience! Then, there was Turbo. Turbo. What can you say about that dog? He was cute, but he consistently took food from the kids hands, knocked over the garbage can, constantly pooped in the house...I was done. Then, there was Rowdy. Rowdy was the best dog ever. I couldn't ask for a better dog. But, Mike didn't like him. Apparently, his blonde dog hair was too much for Mike to deal with. Man, I wish I would have just told Mike to shove it on that one, but I didn't. So, we gave him to a friend in the ward. Now we are onto Bronx. Bronx seemed like the perfect dog. But, from the beginning he peed every once in a while in the house. I thought it was because he wasn't neutered, so I got him neutered. Yeah, that didn't help. Then, I thought maybe a dog door would help. At first, it seemed to, but for some reason he is scared of Mike (which might be part of the problem) or he doesn't like the cold weather (which I doubt is the problem). But, today alone I have found poop and pee in my birthday room, pee in Dallin's room, and poop in Emma's room. I have tried and tried to get the kids to close their bedroom doors, but alas, no luck. So, I have reached the end of my rope. For some reason, I am having trouble allowing this dog to leave even though I don't exactly like him. Maybe it's something about his buggy eyes, or the way he snores when he sleeps. But, I have posted him on KSL and I am hoping that he will go to a family who will love him. I can't count how many times I have had to clean up dog pee while we have lived in this house. But, I have decided that this is it. We are not getting another dog again. Maybe a goldfish would be better suited for our family. In the meantime, I have some rooms to clean. Does anyone have a pooper scooper I can borrow?

My Potential Chronic Sunburn

Well, since everyone who follows my blog already knows, it's not a secret anymore. Mike and I and the kids are planning a (tentative) move to Texas. It's time, after 13 years, for Mike to finally be closer to his side of the family. This is a bittersweet thing for me, for sure!! I don't want to leave my own family by any means. That is a HUGE given. However, Mike deserves to enjoy the same camaraderie that I have had for so long and it will give our kids the chance to get to know the Jenkins side as well. Plus, real estate in Texas is incredibly cheap which is always a great thing! Mike has an interview with the CAT dealership in Irving, which is about 20 minutes from Arlington, (our city of choice) on or around the 10th of November when we are there for Chris and Penny's big day(s). I am really excited, but also a little scared at the idea of leaving. We have been here for 7 years now and even though I don't really like Utah weather, it is much preferable to Texas heat. But, who knows? Maybe I will actually like it once we are there. If everything goes the way it should, I will be attending the University of Texas at Arlington to finish my Bachelor's and Master's degrees in accounting. Penny has already informed me of which schools are the best for the kids and I trust her judgment implicitly. So....now it's just a waiting game to see if this is what Heavenly Father really wants for us. If things go smoothly, then we'll know it's meant to be. If they don't, then it's not. Either way, it's all in Heavenly Father's hands as far as I'm concerned.

My Medical Nightmares

Hello all,
It seems like I have been writing a lot lately, but it seems like life is handing me a lot to write about. But, today I will write about the medical nightmares I have been having these past few weeks. First, the most obvious one: my cyst removal. As most of you know, I had an emergency removal of a cyst on my ovary in which they removed the whole ovary as well as the cyst. I woke up on Monday morning with a pain in my side that just wouldn't go away, and it kept getting bigger and bigger. Finally, Mike FORCED me to go to the hospital, against my will, and after a CT scan, we found the cyst. It was a dermoid cyst, meaning that it had grown teeth and everything. Scary stuff! I am actually learning about this stuff in my Human Biology class, so it was like a little extra homework for me. Anyway, we decided to take it out, not at all thinking of what the medical bill might be afterward.

Well, yesterday I received the bill from the hospital in the mail. I was thinking it would be pretty big--somewhere in the neighborhood of $5, maybe even $10,000 if things got out of hand! I was so wrong. Folks, it is a whopping $25,438.11!! I about fell down and had a heart attack right then and there. What can I do about it now?! It's not like I can take my ovary back. So, here I am, bill in hand, wishing I had a million dollars right about now. Not to worry, I can always sell my other ovary for the money, right? I mean, it's not like I need it!

As for my other medical nightmare....well, this one isn't nearly as expensive. But, it will definitely mean huge changes in our home and a lot of patience on mine and Mike's parts. Dallin has been diagnosed with Attention Deficit Disorder with some Hyperactivity. I have NEVER noticed any hyperactivity on his part, but apparently some things he does like scream at the top of his lungs or get up and down from his seat fall into the hyperactive category. However, I have known for quite some time in my heart that he had ADD. I think now it's just nice to have an official diagnosis so we can start getting help on how to deal with it WITHOUT medication. That is one of the things Mike and I are very adamant about: NO MEDICATION. Luckily, Dallin's case is somewhat mild and he is by no means an unruly child. But, still, he does have the odd noises and the small tics that are associated with kids who have attention problems. He also has a tremendously hard time concentrating, and I know that this is something that will get better as he gets older. But, we are working on helping with that now so it won't be so difficult for him in the future.

We have decided as part of the treatment, that we are going to start going gluten-free for at least a month to see if it helps. Of course, we are doing other things like adjusting bedtimes and night routines, TV schedules, posting checklists for him, etc. But, the biggest change for our family is going to be the gluten-free diet. I would like to get to the point where everything in the house is Dallin-friendly. But, that means the whole family is pretty much going gluten-free too. I don't know if that would be more expensive than just buying him extra stuff on top of our regular groceries, but I will just have to perform some trial and error. It will be a journey, that's for sure.

Anyway, that's about it on my end. How is everyone else doing?

My Educational Predicament

For the past few weeks, as most of you know, I have been dealing with my kids' elementary school and problems encountered therein. Most of the problems have been with Dallin and his teacher. It has gotten me thinking about what I want to do with my life. When I graduated from high school, I knew for sure that I wanted to be a teacher. I went to SUU and I was in the process of taking all the classes needed to get my elementary education degree. When I moved back to Oregon, I decided that I would rather be an accountant, and for the most part, that is what I have stuck with. But, with all the troubles Dallin has been dealing with lately, it has gotten me to thinking that maybe I want to switch back to my original idea. I realize that the money aspect of it would be about half of what I'd make as an accountant. But, I wish that Dallin had the kind of teacher that I know I could be. I hope that doesn't sound like I am tooting my own horn, but I love working with kids, mostly teenagers and preteens. But, I'd be happy with just about anything from grade three and up.

So, here is my predicament: I have already been going back to school now for well over a year. I have done a few general ed courses, but most of them have been business related with the goal of transferring to a four-year college to study accounting. But, I have been volunteering a lot lately in three of my kids classes and I just don't know for sure that accounting is what I want to do anymore. Too bad I can't do both! Any suggestions?

My Dermoid Cyst

Well, as a lot of you already know, I went in for emergency surgery Monday night to have a cyst removed on my ovary. I have to admit, I wasn't expecting that initially. I even said to the receptionist in the ER that I thought I might be overreacting by coming in and that it was probably just gas. But, lo and behold, after getting a CT scan, they found a 7cm dermoid cyst on my left ovary. It had gotten so big, it had twisted my ovary downward which is what caused the unbelieveable pain in my left side. It even had a tooth in it! My sister had a cyst removed when she was 20 weeks along with her first son, Chase. Now, she has another one. I'm not sure why she is waiting to have it removed, but I am sure she has a good reason. All I know is that the pain was unbearable for me and I wanted it gone!! I was blessed to have lots of people helping me through all this. Caradon gave me advice and calmed me down, reassuring me that I wasn't going to die. That was my main concern, believe it or not! =) Sam came and took the kids for a couple hours until my mom could get there. Then, she spent the night and cleaned my house so I could basically lie in bed all day. I have to admit, I am getting kind of tired of sleeping on my back and I wish so badly that I could sleep on my side. I'll get there sooner or later. I also live in a family full of comedians, so I am constantly laughing, which sucks because it hurts so bad. I also really need to take a shower, but I am scared to. I am afraid of falling and/or getting the stitches wet. Every time I stand up, I feel dizzy. And, then there's Mikey who has made this while thing seem like a vacation of sorts. He is so attentive and loving and I am so grateful that he has bent over backwards to make sure I am comfortable and well-taken-care-of. I am a lucky girl. Heavenly Father has really been watching over me and I am grateful for all the well wishes from friends and loved ones and the prayers. They really do help. Now, I have to get back into a normal routine! Wish me luck!!